RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Terminal sedation: an emotional decision in end-of-life care
JF Journal of Medical Ethics
JO J Med Ethics
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Institute of Medical Ethics
SP 508
OP 509
DO 10.1136/medethics-2011-100213
VO 38
IS 8
A1 Simon Noah Etkind
YR 2012
UL http://jme.bmj.com/content/38/8/508.abstract
AB A patient with end-stage motor neurone disease was admitted for hospice care with worsening bulbar symptoms. Although he initially walked onto the ward he became very distressed and asked for sedation. After much discussion, this man was deeply sedated, and after some harrowing days, died. Was it right to provide terminal sedation? What should the threshold be for such treatment? How should our personal reservations affect how we approach the distressed patient in an end-of-life situation?